Early Running Riboletta Might Be Cup's Best

Published 4:00 am, Saturday, November 4, 2000

The best might be first in the 17th Breeders' Cup today at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

The $2 million Distaff, for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the dirt, opens the eight-race Breeders' Cup program (10 a.m., Channel 4), and Riboletta is poised on the threshold of greatness.

A 5-year-old Chilean-bred mare, Riboletta has won her past seven races on the main track -- five Grade 1 stakes and two Grade 2s -- and has beaten the best older females in both New York and California.

She is so good that her owners, Aaron and Marie Jones, considered putting up $800,000 to supplement her into the Breeders' Cup Classic against male opponents. Many observers believe she would have a legitimate chance against them.

"She's a helluva mare and a great racehorse," said Aaron Jones, who had to pay $400,000 to get Riboletta into the Distaff. "I feel she'd have a darn good chance to beat the colts, but she's where she belongs."

Actually, the Joneses could have saved the $400,000 and kept her out of the Breeders' Cup, and she still would have won the Eclipse Award for the nation's outstanding older female.

"Eduardo Inda (Riboletta's trainer) has done such a fantastic job, I owe him the opportunity to run her," Jones said.

The only question about Riboletta today is whether she'll handle Churchill Downs, a surface that doomed such horses as Easy Goer, Skip Away and Holy Bull.

"She has adapted to any track so far," said Inda, who served as assistant to Hall of Fame trainer Ron McAnally for many years and was instrumental in Breeders' Cup Distaff victories by Bayakoa (twice) and Paseana. "She'll do anything you want; you can be on the lead, you can be second, be third, and then she finishes very well."

Beautiful Pleasure figures to be Riboletta's main opposition in the field of nine, although her front-run- ning style could be compromised by 3-year-old Surfside. Beautiful Pleasure cruised to a five-length lead over Riboletta in the Beldame on Oct. 14 at Belmont Park, but the Chilean mare blew by her on the second turn on the way to a two- length victory.

If Riboletta wins the Distaff, and neither Fusaichi Pegasus nor Lemon Drop Kid takes the Classic, she will be a deserving Horse of the Year.

JUVENILE FILLIES

As usual, the vast majority of the field in the 1 1/16-mile race for 2- year-old fillies posseses early speed, which should set up things nicely for stone closer Cindy's Hero. She has won only one of four starts, but that came in the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante when she caught the speedy Notable Career.

Cindy's Hero finished third behind Notable Career in the 1-mile Oak Leaf Stakes at Santa Anita, but the track strongly favored front-runners that day.

Notable Career is trying to become the first California-bred to win a Breeders' Cup race, and she'll be hard-pressed by the likes of Xtra Heat, Stormy Pick, Raging Fever and Cash Deal.

Freefourracing won three of four in Europe and overcame traffic to win the Indian Summer Stakes on Oct. 19 at Keeneland in her U.S. debut. Trained by Fusaichi Pegasus' Neil Drysdale, Freefourracing will be making her first start beyond seven furlongs.

MILE

The 1-mile grass race typically is a crapshoot, and with a 14-horse field, avoiding traffic will be crucial.

King Cugat, a 3-year-old facing older horses for the first time, will be ridden by Jerry Bailey -- one of the premier big-race jockeys -- and he easily won both of his starts on the Churchill Downs turf course. He should be a good price because of the quality and depth of the field.

Indian Lodge, who won Group 1 races in two of his past three starts, heads a good-but-not-great European contingent. Trainer Julio Canani, who won last year's Mile with Silic, will have Ladies Din primed for a top effort -- like his victories in the Eddie Read Handicap and San Francisco Mile. Forbidden Apple was nothing more than an allowance horse until rising with victories in two Grade 2 stakes at Belmont Park. California 3-year-olds Walk- likeaduck and War Chant are sharp.

SPRINT

Kona Gold finished third in the 1998 Sprint and ran a winning race last year when falling a half-length short of Artax. His schedule has gone perfectly according to trainer Bruce Headley's plans this year, and he should get the winning trip from just behind the fast early pacesetters.

More Than Ready has seven victories and a second in eight races less than 1 mile, and his late run will be effective again, although he comes off two efforts at seven furlongs -- a furlong more than today's distance.

If either Caller One or Five Star Day weren't in the field, the other could get a long enough early lead to be able to hold off the rest of the field. They'll be blazing out of the gate.

Bet On Sunshine, the 8-year-old veteran, has won half of his 36 starts and likes Churchill Downs. Agnes World has run a series of good races on the turf in Japan and Europe and won the Group 1 July Cup at New Market.

FILLY AND MARE TURF

Petrushka won her past three races in Europe -- all Group 1 stakes, two at 1 1/2 miles and the other at 1 1/4 -- and she appears better suited to today's 1 3/8-mile distance than the best American grass-course females.

Colstar rallied to edge Snow Polina by a head in the 1 1/4-mile Flower Bowl Handicap at Belmont Park, and it was a strong performance given that the runner-up finished 8 1/4 lengths ahead of the third horse. Colstar also owns a victory on the Churchill Downs turf course.

Perfect Sting had a four-race win streak broken when upset by Tout Charmant in the Winnstar Galaxy Handicap, and she owns a victory over Snow Polina going 1 1/4 miles.

Tranquility Lake won all three of her starts this year, including the 1 1/4-mile Yellow Ribbon Stakes, but she was able to set a very slow pace each time. She won't get away with that today.

JUVENILE

Front-running Flame Thrower is unbeaten in four starts, advancing from six furlongs to 6 1/2, seven and 1 mile, and he has shown a gameness down the stretch reminiscent of the great Affirmed. Unlike the Juvenile Fillies, there isn't much early speed for Flame Thrower to contend with in today's 1 1/16-mile race, so he can put away longshot Trailthefox and hold off the closers.

A P Valentine won the 1 1/16- mile Champagne Stakes like a veteran, waiting for room and then rallying on the rail in only his third career start.

Street Cry couldn't get by Flame Thrower in either the Del Mar Futurity or the Norfolk Stakes, but he'll be finishing strongly again, along with Macho Uno, Arabian Light and Yonaguska.

TURF

Montjeu (11 wins in 15 starts) is regarded as Europe's best older horse, but today's 1 1/2-mile race will be his third start in five weeks. And after four consecutive victories, he finished fourth in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe and second in the Champion Stakes.

He is vulnerable today, and Kalanisi, who beat him in the Champion Stakes, is the horse to do it again. Kalanisi has run only eight times (five victories, three seconds) and twice finished within a head of Giant's Causeway, who is considered such a good horse that he is running in the Classic instead of the Turf.

Of the Americans, you have to love John's Call, who has had the best year of his career at the ripe age of nine. Able to run on or off the pace, John's Call has won his past four starts at 1 1/2 miles, and if rain softens the Churchill Downs turf course, watch out. His best performances have come on soft or yielding turf.

CLASSIC

Fusaichi Pegasus makes the final start of a brief career in which he has won six of eight with two seconds. His ability to accelerate several times during a race won him the Kentucky Derby, and he came back from minor injuries with a fine victory in the Jerome Handicap. He has trained very well for the Classic, obviously likes Churchill Downs and should go out in a blaze of glory.

Giant's Causeway has nine victories (six in Group 1 stakes) and three seconds in 12 starts on European turf and is bred to handle dirt. Obviously, he can spoil the Pegasus party, but he must overcome the No. 14 post.

Tiznow, supplemented into the Classic for $360,000, is a late-developing 3-year-old who didn't begin racing until April 22. He has four victories and three seconds in seven starts at 1 1/16 miles or longer while showing early speed and finishing power. He is a California-bred, however.

Albert the Great ran the race of his life to beat older opponents in the Jockey Club Gold Cup after finishing a well-beaten third in the Jerome and Captain Steve beat older horses in the Kentucky Cup Classic; so the 3-year-olds in today's race are uncommonly strong.

Lemon Drop Kid seeks redemption after his fifth-place finish in the Jockey Club Gold Cup -- he had won four in a row before that. Don't count on it.

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